Women's Tennis . March 13, 2025

Gamecocks Hit the Road for Matches at Ole Miss and No. 9 LSU

OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 25 South Carolina women’s tennis team hits the road for a two-match stretch, heading to No. 42 Ole Miss for a 4:00 p.m. first serve on Fri., March 14 before rounding out the week at No. 9 LSU on Sun., March 16 for an 11:00 a.m. match.

Gamecock Notables

The Gamecocks split their competition last week, falling to then-No. 6 Tennessee 1-4 on the road before bouncing back to sweep Kentucky 4-0 at home. Misa Malkin scored the lone point for the Gamecocks in the match against the Volunteers in a 7-5, 6-4 showing. Against the Wildcats it was the bottom half of the lineup that carried South Carolina to the win after the Gamecocks had clinched the doubles point following wins from Kaitlyn Carnicella & Sarah Hamner (6-2) and Helena Buchwald & Lauren Friedman (6-3). Malkin (6-1, 6-1), Bella Bergkvist Larsson (6-1, 6-0) and Helena Buchwald (6-3, 6-4) picked up singles wins to secure the third conference victory of the season.
In the latest edition of the ITA team rankings, the Gamecocks held onto their No. 25 spot. Hamner (No. 19), Carnicella (No. 92) and Malkin (No. 93) represent the team in singles. Hamner and Carnicella are No. 36 in doubles.
Malkin has a 6-2 record in singles and is riding on a four-match win streak. Buchwald has a 7-2 standing and has won her past three consecutive matches. Larsson boasts an impressive 8-3 record.

Scouting the Rebels

Ole Miss is 9-5 this season with a 2-3 SEC record. The Rebels enter Friday’s match coming off of a tough loss to then-No. 18 Alabama 0-4. Two days prior to that the team defeated Mississippi State at home 4-2.
Rachel Krzyzak (5-1) and Alice Soulie (6-1) have the strongest singles records, playing primarily in the bottom half of the lineup. Ludmila Kareisova and Anaelle Leclercq hold an 8-3 doubles record at the top of the lineup.
Kareisova and Leclercq are ranked No. 50 in doubles.

Scouting the Tigers

LSU has a near perfect 14-1 overall record including an undefeated 5-0 standing in SEC play. The Tigers picked up a pair of 4-2 victories on the road last week against then-No. 18 Alabama and Mississippi State, respectively. The team is set to play No. 1 Georgia on Fri., March 14 before hosting the Gamecocks.
Kayla Cross, who plays primarily at line No. 2, has a solid 6-1 singles record and is on a six-match victory streak. Kenna Erickson, who plays at the bottom of the lineup holds an 8-1 record and enters Sunday’s match on a four-match win streak. Cadence Brace and Cross have a 6-1 record in doubles, playing in the No. 1 position.
Cross was named Freshman of the Week as announced by the Southeastern Conference on Wed., March 12. This marked her second weekly award of the season.
Brace (No. 54), Cross (No. 63) and Tilwith Di Girolami (No. 65) represent the Tigers in singles. LSU has two doubles pairs in the top 25. Brace and Cross are the No. 11 duo in the country while Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva are No. 25.

Series History

The Gamecocks lead the series record against the Rebels 26-15 and are riding on an 11-match winning streak.
Against LSU the Gamecocks lead the all-time series record 27-8. The last time the two programs met was in 2024 when South Carolina fell 1-4 to the Tigers.

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